An Account of the Voyages undertaken by the order of his Present Majesty for Making Discoveries in the Southern Hemisphere,

First edition of the official account of Cook's first voyage, in the preferred issue with the Straits of Magellan plate, together with previous exploratory expeditions under Byron, Carteret and Wallis, compiled by John Hawkesworth. The primary purpose of Cook's voyage in Endeavour was the observation of the transit of Venus from Tahiti, and then to continue the enterprise of geographical investigation begun by Byron. This was to result in the discovery of the Society Islands, the circumnavigation of New Zealand, and the charting of the eastern coast of Australia. "Hawkesworth, an eminent London author, was chosen by Lord Sandwich and commissioned by the Admiralty to prepare these narratives for publication He was expected to add polish to the rough narratives of sea men, and to present the accounts in a style befitting the status of the voyages as official government expeditions, intended to embellish England's prestige as a maritime power." Although the book was a huge success, fast becoming a best-seller, it was disastrous for its editor: "He was publicly attacked on three different counts: by the captains for tampering with the texts of their journals, by prudish readers for reprinting descriptions of the sexual freedoms of the South Sea islanders, and by devout churchmen for impiety in the general introduction to the work, in which Hawkesworth had rashly challenged the doctrine of providential intervention. He was devastated by this critical barrage, and it was thought to be the main cause of his death. The rumour recorded by Malone that he killed himself with an overdose of opium is uncorroborated, but Fanny Burney's conviction that his health was destroyed by the vilification he suffered seems well founded" (ODNB). A handsome and appealing set.